Barcelona have rejected Liverpool's loan plea for out-of-favour striker David Villa in the January transfer window, with the Catalans only interested in securing a permanent transfer for the Spaniard, reports the Daily Mail.

Villa, who has 40 goals from 96 appearances for the La Liga side, has found himself surplus to requirements at Camp Nou since his return from injury, following the club's shift to a style that does not involve a traditional central forward.

Arsenal and Chelsea are also reported to be closely monitoring the striker with the Blues the likeliest to look for a deal for the Spaniard, having failed to agree terms with Newcastle United's Demba Ba. The Gunners, on the other hand, have reportedly put in a bid for Atletico Madrid forward Adrian Lopez and are now unlikely to ramp up their interest in the 31-year-old Barcelona man.

Villa missed the majority of last season owing to a broken tibia he suffered in a Club World Cup match in Yokohama against Al Sadd. The Spaniard was also unavailable for La Roja's Euro 2012 campaign, and since his return has failed to establish himself as a regular at the club.

Brendan Rodgers, who has already secured a loan deal for Nuri Sahin from Real Madrid in the summer, is looking to bolster his attacking options. Liverpool have failed to embark on a consistent run this season, which has resulted in them falling behind their rivals in the race for a Champions League spot. The Reds are currently ninth in the league, eight points adrift of the top four.

Meanwhile, Joe Allen has hailed team-mate Luis Suarez's display against QPR at the weekend and labelled the Uruguayan as unstoppable, when he is at his best. The forward scored a brace in Liverpool's 3-0 win over the Londoners, taking his overall tally of goals to 16 for the season.

"As a team we were excellent and that's the way we want to play in every match. When you've got someone like Luis Suarez you're always going to cause teams problems. When Luis plays like that he's unstoppable," the midfielder told the club Web site.